January 29, 1999
As February approaches and January draws to a close, I am pondering the thought, "Is
this really the middle of winter?". I only need to look at observations in other parts of
North America to realize that yes, it is still winter. High temperatures in Alaska are close
to all time lows in some areas and parts of Texas are receiving heavy snow as I type this.
Also, a band of ocean effect snow is affecting some areas in Massachusetts. So, no winter
is definitely not over yet, although it has felt like it here for the past week. Many are
claiming that this run of milder weather is due to our normal January thaw, but upper air
feature do not match patterns relative to the January thaw. More or less, I contribute this
warming to La Nina. It truly has affectd our weather this year. Some features prevalent in
a La Nina pattern are more instances of sleet and ice, which we have seen, and also
drastic temperature fluctuations from week to week. So, while this weather isn't
considered 'normal' or 'average' based on past winters, La Nina is certain having
something to do with it. For those who don't know, La Nina is the cooling of the equatorial
waters in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. This trend should continue for the remainder of the
winter, but in the short term, there is hardly any winter weather to talk about for us.
Temperatures over the next few days should be close to normal. Next threat of precip
would come sometime Tuesday in the form of Rain. So, for us snowlovers, we are in a very
dull pattern with no improvements on the near horizon. But remember, these patterns can
change quickly and I would not be surprised to see Old Man Winter make a return in
mid-February sometime. So, enjoy the nice weather, and check back. I will update again
when I feel we may be in for wintery weather.
